For David Leon, even the scruffiest dog deserves a chance to be man’s best friend. As the designated canine carpenter on Underdog to Wonderdog, Animal Planet’s hour-long extreme makeover series, Leon designs and builds upscale playhouses for stray or abandoned pooches from shelters.
The series, which airs at 9 pm on Saturdays, is filmed in New Jersey or within the tri-state area and each episode features a canine’s rags-to-riches story. “We use several different means to get the dogs,” Leon says. “We work with a company that will actually charter a plane to go down south and get the dog. There’s a woman who goes around in an RV to puppy mills and brings dogs up here. We’ll find the dog that really needs our help.”
Leon, who grew up in Piscataway, acted and modeled in his 20s, but later turned to construction, eventually starting his own business, Finish Line Home Improvements in Parsippany.
Before he starts a project, Leon considers the dog and its future family. “I concentrate on the breed, and figure out what their natural instincts are—tunneling or climbing or being a watchdog,” he says. He’s constructed elaborate doghouses with tunnels and ramps, and has built theme houses such as a firehouse and medieval motif.
Leon doesn’t have a dog of his own right now. “I can’t wait for the day when I can have one,” he says. Until then, he settles for making other doggies’ dreams come true.